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Tesla settles long-running racial discrimination court battle with former worker
Owen Diaz was originally awarded $137 million in damages, but the appeals that followed had lowered the amount significantly. The terms of his settlement with Tesla are confidential.
Researchers highlight racial bias in speech recognition systems
Researchers have identified significant racial disparities in speech recognition systems from five of the world's biggest tech companies. According to a study from Stanford University, systems from Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM and Microsoft make far more errors with users who are black than those who are white.
The Eldar invade Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade
Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade's racial roster continues to expand, as Behavior Interactive officially added the Eldar Craftworlds to the races and sub-factions page today. As the name and common sense implies, the Eldar are ancient, old, and qualified for senior citizen discounts in every part of the galaxy. However, as they have access to advanced technology and powerful psychic soldiers, they're not content to putter around Walmart on scooters but are instead right in the thick of the intergalactic conflict. Interestingly enough, the Eldar can also see their own future in which they meet a bitter end, but they fight on with severe denial even so.
The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Racial abilities and warriors
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Care and Feeding of Warriors, the column dedicated to arms, fury and protection warriors. Despite repeated blows to the head from dragons, demons, Old Gods and whatever that thing over there was, Matthew Rossi will be your host. The game's history shows us that racial abilities have always been a subject of contention. Since warriors are at present the only class that all 13 races can play (pandaren can't be DK's, worgen and goblins can't be monks) we're the only class that has to consider all racials. Some racials are stronger in PvE than PvP, and the inverse is also true. Still others (Arcane Torrent, Stoneform) are fairly good for both. I have over the years race changed between various options, usually for purely aesthetic reasons, but at least twice I became a night elf entirely for the night elf racial Quickness, which is astonishingly good for a tanking warrior. Now, does that mean you can't tank on anything but a night elf? No, not at all. For one thing, in our active mitigation system, hit and expertise racials are also fairly solid, but more to the point, no racial ability is so good that it must be chosen for any role. This isn't to say that some racials aren't fairly dominant in PvE or PvP, especially the latter - Every Man For Himself is always going to have a high representation among PvPing warriors. It would be foolishness to argue otherwise. My point is don't treat racials as must haves and force yourself to play a human if you'd rather play a gnome, or a forsaken when you want to play a troll. Let's take a look at all the racials and see where we end up.
Guild Wars 2 writer laments racial lopsidedness
It's never been a secret that a majority of MMO players tend to gravitate toward human (and the most human-like) races when it comes to rolling characters, so if you thought Guild Wars 2 was going to break that trend with interesting races like the Asura and Sylvari, think again. ArenaNet Writer Peter Fries sent out a recent tweet in which he lamented the lopsided racial balance: "Guild Wars 2 race popularity makes me sad. People avoiding Charr and Asura are missing the strongest story stuff in our game, IMO." According to a numberless chart from Game Economist John Smith, Humans were by far the most popular race in the game, often twice as much as the others. Norn have the second place, with the remaining races roughly equal.
Project Copernicus 'racial' screens leak from 38 Studios
While 38 Studios remains in dire straits, fans are getting a bittersweet treat of Project Copernicus reveals. It's sweet because we've been dying to see more information on this game, but bitter because its fate is still up in the air. Today fan site 38 Watch posted a trio of official-looking screens straight from Copernicus' world. In the screens, three races are revealed: the human-looking Almain, the dwarven Dverga, and the orcish Jottun. The game's art style and lush color palette are on full display, opting for more of a stylized than realistic approach. We recently heard that Project Copernicus has a possible June 2013 launch window and got our first look at the game in a flyby video. You can scope out the new screens in the gallery below. %Gallery-156060%
Breakfast Topic: Which race has the best racial ability in the game?
The clue, as ever, is in the name! I often read forums and see people asking what the best racial ability is in the game. Now of course, the answer is situational, or we'd all play one race. For PvE and PvP, answers will be different. Depending on your style of play, you might prefer different racials over others. Furthermore, different classes will benefit more from different racials than others. Tanks might prefer a dwarf's Stoneform, where DPS may favor a troll's Berserking. Would you prefer War Stomp or Every Man for Himself? Someone who does a lot of work on gathering professions would probably absolutely love a goblin's Pack Hobgoblin, and some races have bonuses to specific professions, like gnomes do with engineering. (It's strange that despite their parallel engineering heritage, the goblin profession specialization is alchemy.) So which race overall, do you think has the best racial? And as ever, why? And if you don't remember quite who has what, you can check all the racials here: Alliance Horde Draenei Blood elf Dwarf Goblin Gnome Orc Human Tauren Night elf Troll Worgen Undead %Poll-72582%
Patch 4.3: Worgen racial mounts
Blizzard has finally seen fit to give Worgen players -- or more specifically, the Gilnean faction -- their own mounts. Worgen originally had no racial mount because of their innate ability Running Wild, which allowed the Worgen to be their own mounts, dropping to all fours and moving at mount speed. The new Gilnean mounts appear to be unarmored horses coming in brown and grey colors. It is presumed that players will be able to purchase these mounts if they are exalted with the Gilnean faction, much like how other factions' mounts work. Players were torn over Running Wild, mostly because each mount collected counts toward the achievement Mountain o' Mounts, which rewards a Red or Blue Dragonhawk to fly around on. Many Alliance players were upset over the fact that Horde players had an easier time collecting 100 mounts because of the Goblins' trikes. Horses make sense for Worgen, as Worgen are still essentially a Human nation, and Humans in Warcraft ride horses. These two particular mounts seem a bit plain, though. These new mounts are coming in most likely to ease the disparity between mounts when faction changes occur. All in all, this is good news for Alliance mount collectors.
Lichborne: Racial abilities for death knights
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done. With all the upheaval regarding death knight abilities and DPS happening right now, it's sometimes a good idea to go back to the basics and figure out some of the stuff that underlies a good, solid death knight. One of the most basic cornerstones of choosing a death knight is choosing your race. Since every single race can be a death knight, you have your pick, and since there's a race change service, you don't even have to stay the same race forever. Personally, I tend to say that you choose whatever race feels right for you -- but for those who want to pick a race (or change your current race) based on what racials are "best," this guide is for you.
Spiritual Guidance: New priest races and racial traits in 4.0.3 and Cataclysm
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. Dawn Moore covers healing for discipline and holy priests. She enjoys grating carrots. So 4.0.3 is out now, and all the little Holycows are running about Mulgore, grazing on the succulent young grasses. Pocketheals the gnome priest is strafing across Dun Morogh, avoiding those who would punt her. If you haven't heard, 4.0.3 has made it so that tauren and gnomes can become priests now. In another week, we'll also be able to play worgen and goblin priests too! That means every race in the game but orcs (poor orcs) can now be a priest. That makes it a good time to talk about racial traits for priests then, doesn't it? So if you want some extra insight on making that new priest you've always wanted, hit the jump. And if you don't want a priest, maybe you should reconsider that, huh?
The Daily Grind: If you could play another race, what would it be?
Whether it be Lord of the Rings Online's four, Warhammer Online's seven or EverQuest II's whopping 19, sometimes MMOs never quite have the race you really want to play. Although race selection is often overshadowed by class picks, a character's race is still quite important to most players. Whether it be the aesthetic style, the implied attitude or the inherited place in the world, a race matters. Yet there usually comes a point where the mind starts to wander over to the forbidden valley and dabble in the "What if?" of racial choices. Maybe there's a race/class combination that's forbidden in your game, and you're denied your favorite race just because you are in love with a class. Or perhaps there's a race that you've encountered in your journeys that you think would be a popular player pick if only the devs would return your phone calls. So if you could play another race in your MMO, what would it be? Would you love to be a giant, towering above all others and crushing your foes with impunity? Would you like to be a monster that looks more terrifying than anything else you might encounter? Or have you latched onto the idea of being a cyborg zombie -- Zomborg, they're called? Speak up, sonny -- I can't hear you! Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Road to Mordor: Off to the races
A long time ago in this column, back in an age of sweet innocence that I like to call "April 2010," I spent a bit of time commenting on the nine classes in Lord of the Rings Online and how they appeal to different playstyles. Today, as I sit here swaddled in a blanket, drinking tea and desperately trying to wish this cold away, I want to write the companion piece to that article, dealing with races. LotRO is somewhat unique in the MMO landscape in that it is pretty confined to four and only four playable races outside of PvMP. As much as we love the Pale Folk, I highly doubt we'll ever be given another racial choice for the lifespan of the game -- at least, not without some fiddly logic on Turbine's part. Besides, the four races we're given -- Dwarf, Man, Hobbit and Elf -- are the iconic grouping of the books, and trying to add a gnome or giant or well-intentioned half-orc to the Quest would just come off as silly. Anyway, if you're starting out in LotRO or mulling over an alt, there's a lot more to consider when picking a race than just "what looks good" (although I'm not going to tell you looks aren't important, no I am not). Races influence your starter zone, traits, special skills and class picks. Join us as we jump down the rabbit hole and emerge in a magical land full of words and screenshots!
Blood Sport: Should racials be removed?
Want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women? Blood Sport investigates the entirety of all-things arena for gladiators and challengers alike. C. Christian Moore, multiple rank 1 gladiator, examines the latest arena strategy, trends, compositions and more in WoW.com's arena column. Listening Music: Fix You, the author's favorite Coldplay song. The best part of this performance, the "crowd run," happens 3 minutes into it. Watch it, if just for that. Last Week: Last week, we discussed the racials of blood elves, undead, and trolls, oh my! The last two Blood Sport articles look at racial abilities from a perspective of effectiveness in the arena. This Week: We'll be discussing racials, for the third (and last) week straight. A lot of arena players would rather play without racials entirely. On ArenaJunkies, there are lots of people who subscribe to a nerf movement every few weeks and add a little signature or avatar in to say "nerf Will of the Forsaken" or "nerf Every Man For Himself." What if racials got removed? Would WoW be better or worse because of it? I have an opinion on it that I'm going to share with you -- hopefully you'll agree. So let's weigh some arguments for removing racials... Cons (removing racials would be bad): Identity The forsaken just wouldn't be the same without those three translucent exclamation points. Before I played WoW, I saw a video of an orc using Blood Fury, and I was amazed. The animation looks so cool, and you can get it at level one! Every time I see a tauren shaman run to me, I instinctively jump behind a pillar. It'd be hard for me to get it out of my system that he can't War Stomp anymore.
The Queue: Grey guilds
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's (almost) daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky be your host today.I'm just going to let that video speak for itself today, and get started on the questions. @sammagher asked... "Why do grey items even exist, if only to be sold to vendors or occasionally used as RP gear?"
Race changes confirmed
The possibility of changing your character's race was indicated at BlizzCon 2009, during one of the panels. But then the news about it really got hot when Faction changes were officially announced, because eagle-eyed players noticed the following damning question in the new program's FAQs: Can I use this service to change race on my existing faction? The answer was confirmation enough for most folks: No. We will be releasing a Race change service in the near future for this purpose.But, this wouldn't be the first time a bit of miscommunication or other confusion has occurred. The final confirmation of upcoming race changes came today, confirmed by Neth again in an official forum thread. All she was actually doing there was referencing the original thread about Faction changes, which had already said Race changes were coming. The announcement even showed up on the official Warcraft Twitter account. So this isn't exactly a brand new thing. Still, it's nice to have it confirmed all over again.Race changes, of course, subtly differ from Faction changes because you'll still stay Alliance if you're Alliance, or Horde if you're Horde. Race changes might be performed for aesthetic reasons -- you might just prefer the look of a sexy little gnome. Still, I bet most Race changes will be to get access to "better" racials. Especially if racials do get revamped in Cataclysm, a lot of players will see the grass a little greener on the other side. Every Man For Himself, anyone?
BlizzCon 2009 Insider Trader: Cataclysmic professions part two
A week has passed since BlizzCon 2009 and we're still digging up more news, getting clarification from the blues, and analyzing all of the panels. Last week, Insider Trader discussed some of the major professions-related features coming up in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the next expansion pack. Pass through the break to learn all about: Profession racial abilities and how they will be changing. The new direction for Alchemy. A totally revamped Fishing system! Archaeology details and speculation about the leveling process. The evolution of Inscription. Then, continue on to part three of this discussion to learn more about: Reforging and (not) repairing our own gear. Woodworking. Profession specializations and the new direction for differentiation.
The Queue: Six
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today. Ah, Rambo. He has a striking resemblance to certain staff members here at WoW Insider. But in the good way, sort of like the good way where I answer six of your questions today - with perhaps the best question saved for last.Ghaundaur asked..."If you dual spec at 40 and in the process find out that you made a mistake on either one of your specs and need to fix it, is the cost 1000g again or the normal progression in cost to change a spec? Also, say you are leveling a pally and dual spec Ret and Prot and then get to 80 and want to do Prot and Holy. Are we looking at another 1000g?"
Mount race restrictions lifted, Tauren rejoice
As the newest member of the WoW Insider team, I thought it'd be a good idea to introduce myself before diving right into news, news, news. We might not be total strangers, though! I was the blue poster formerly known as Belfaire (the talbuk). A good number of you may be familiar with my work already, and may have even wondered where I'd gone off to in the past two months. Now you know!That's right--I've given up the animated avatar and moved on to greener pastures. I'm still the same incorrigible talbuk you knew, though, and my unique experiences make me a real...WoW insider.With the obligatory terrible puns out of the way, let's talk shop, yeah?
Spiritual Guidance: Level 5 to 20
Every Sunday (usually), Spiritual Guidance will offer practical insight for priests of the holy profession. Your host is now Matt Low, the grand poobah of World of Matticus and a founder of PlusHeal, a new healing community for all restorative classes. For the next few weeks (unless it's something game breaking), Matt will do his best to guide you through the Priest leveling process! Wrath is almost upon us. As a result, you may have decided that you have nothing better to do then to roll a Priest! A quick glance at the WI leveling guides shows completed class guides for every almost every other class but Priests! This must be changed. The countdown has begun.
The best of WoW Insider: September 2-9, 2008
It's dancin' time in Azeroth -- the Wrath of the Lich King expansion is just around the corner, and we couldn't be happier. News is flying off the beta, all the classes are getting upgrades, there's new content to explore, and it all just makes us so happy we can't help but get on down. Here's the top stories from the past week in Warcraft, courtesy of Joystiq's sister site, WoW Insider. News New racial abilities for WrathBlizzard unveils the tweaks to what your Trolls, Taurens, and Humans can do. Ten of our favorite achievementsHere's a quick gallery look at ten cool achievements we found coming to the World of Warcraft. Shaman glyphs in beta build 8905Glyphs will tweak your spells in the expansion, and here's what Shammies have to look forward to. Karazhan three-manned in the Wrath betaAs if there was any doubt that old content would be trivial when the new expansion dropped, here's proof. Boat crews return in the Wrath betaFinally, the boats have some people on them again. More news in here about riding around towns, too. Features Guildwatch: 10 guilds kicked me in a rowOur weekly look at guild drama is even more dramatic than usual -- /gkicks and /gquits abound! Tiers: The past, present and future of dungeon and raid setsA quick retrospective on what kind of stuff has dropped from the dungeons so far. Skill Mastery: Mirror ImageFinally, a new spell Mages aren't crying over. Ask a Beta Tester: All about Inscription and a few other thingsWant to know what's going on in the Wrath beta? Ask a Beta Tester! The ten people you need to know in WoWWe break down the archetypes of the friends you need to make in Azeroth.
